Qualifying times: Ford 400.

Qualifying times: Ford 400, Homestead Miami Speedway, 2004 NASCAR Nextel Cup Series round 36 of 36.

Nextel Cup championship leader Kurt Busch made the best possible start to his bid to secure his first title by taking pole position for Sunday's season finale at Homestead, the Ford 400. Busch was last to qualify, setting a lap of 179.319mph, while the four drivers that can snatch the title from him had varying fortunes. Third-placed Jeff Gordon qualified fifth, fifth-placed Mark Martin 11th and fourth-placed Dale Earnhardt Jr 16th, but Busch's closest rival, Jimmie Johnson, was forced to take a provisional and will start 39th. Others to watch include rookie Kasey Kahne, starting fourth as he takes his last opportunity to secure the race win he's come so close to several times this season.

The Ford 400 takes the green flag at around 1pm Eastern Time on Sunday, 6pm in the UK. Follow the unfolding drama, on Crash.net.

1. Kurt Busch #97 Sharpie/IRWIN FordRoush Racing 179.319mph
2. Greg Biffle #16 Subway/National Guard FordRoush Racing 179.307mph
3. Ryan Newman #12 ALLTEL Dodge Penske Racing 179.093mph
4. Kasey Kahne *#9 Dodge Dealers/UAW DodgeEvernham Motorsports 178.891mph
5. Jeff Gordon #24 Dupont Chevrolet Hendrick Motorsports 178.719mph
6. Bobby Labonte #18 Interstate Batteries Chevrolet Joe Gibbs Racing 178.542mph
7. Ricky Rudd #21 Motorcraft/US Air Force FordWood Brothers Racing 178.006mph
8. Tony Stewart #20 Home Depot Chevrolet Joe Gibbs Racing 177.866mph
9. Kevin Harvick #29 GM Goodwrench Chevrolet Richard Childress Racing 177.807mph
10. Rusty Wallace #2 Miller Lite Dodge Penske Racing 177.708mph
11. Mark Martin # 6 Viagra Ford Roush Racing 177.602mph
12. Mike Bliss # 0 Netzero HiSpeed ChevroletHaas CNC Racing 177.486mph
13. Shane Hmiel #23 Bill Davis Racing Dodge Bill Davis Racing 177.421mph
14. Brian Vickers * #25 GMAC Financial Services Chevrolet Hendrick Motorsports 177.218mph
15. Elliott Sadler #38 M&M's Ford Robert Yates Racing 177.194mph
16. Dale Earnhardt Jr. #8 Budweiser Chevrolet Dale Earnhardt Incorporated 177.101mph
17. Brendan Gaughan * #77 Kodak/Jasper Engines DodgePenske/Jasper Racing 177.067mph
18. Jamie McMurray #42 Texaco Havoline Dodge Chip Ganassi Racing 177.026mph
19. Joe Nemechek #01 US Army Chevrolet MB2 Motorsports 176.922mph
20. Jeremy Mayfield #19 Dodge Dealers/UAW DodgeEvernham Motorsports 176.881mph
21. Scott Wimmer * #22 Caterpillar Dodge Bill Davis Racing 176.869mph
22. Carl Edwards #99 Roush Racing Ford Roush Racing 176.846mph
23. John Andretti #14 VB/APlus at Sunoco FordPPC Motorsports 176.846mph
24. Michael Waltrip #15 NAPA Auto Parts Chevrolet Dale Earnhardt Incorporated 176.499mph
25. Scott Riggs * #10 Valvoline Chevrolet MBV Motorsports 176.465mph
26. Travis Kvapil #06 Mobil 1 Dodge Penske Racing 176.229mph
27. Dale Jarrett #88 UPS Ford Robert Yates Racing 176.085mph
28. Mike Wallace #4 Lucas Oil Products Chevrolet Morgan-McClure Racing 176.062mph
29. Bobby Hamilton Jr #32 Tide ChevroletPPI Motorsports 175.787mph
30. Matt Kenseth #17 DeWalt Ford Roush Racing 175.764mph
31. Jeff Green #43 Chex Party Mix Dodge Petty Enterprises 175.656mph
32. Boris Said #136 USG Durock Chevrolet Nelson Bowers 175.564mph
33. Robby Gordon #31 Cingular Wireless Chevrolet Richard Childress Racing 175.518mph
34. Greg Sacks #113 ARC Dehooker/Vita Coco DodgeJames Wilsberg 175.319mph
35. Martin Truex Jr. #1 Enterprise Rent-A-Car Chevrolet Dale Earnhardt Incorporated 175.256mph
36. Hermie Sadler #02 Drive for Diversity/Sam Bass Chevrolet SCORE Motorsports 175.245mph
37. Kenny Wallace #100 Aaron's Chevrolet Mike Waltrip Racing 175.046mph
38. Sterling Marlin #40 Lone Star Steakhouse/Coors Light Dodge Chip Ganassi Racing 175.040mph
39. Jimmie Johnson #48 Lowe's Chevrolet Hendrick Motorsports175.029mph (provisional)
40. Jeff Burton # 30 America Online Chevrolet Richard Childress Racing 174.950mph (provisional)
41. Casey Mears #41 Target DodgeChip Ganassi Racing no time (provisional)
42. Terry Labonte #5 Kellogg's ChevroletHendrick Motorsports 172.425mph (provisional)
43. Ken Schrader #49 Schwan's Home Service Dodge BAM Racing 173.768mph (provisional)
Did not qualify
44. Kyle Petty #45 Georgia Pacific/Brawny DodgePetty Enterprises 174.780mph
45. Johnny Sauter #09 Miccosukee Gaming & Resorts Dodge Phoenix Racing 173.986mph
46. Mike Garvey #275 Jani-King Dodge Haefele Motorsport 173.969mph
47. Tony Raines #251 Consort Hair Care for Men ChevroletJoe Auer Racing 173.728mph
48. Kevin Lepage #137 Carter'sRoyal Dispos-All Dodge John Carter 173.444mph
49. Todd Bodine #50 Arnold Development Companies Dodge Arnold Racing 172.778mph
50. Larry Foyt #170 BAM Racing Dodge BAM Racing 171.510mph
51. JJ Yeley #11 MBNA ChevroletJoe Gibbs Racing 172.166mph
52. Randy LaJoie #198 Mach One Inc Ford William Edwards 170.864mph
53. Morgan Shepherd #89 Racing With Jesus/Red Line Oil Dodge Cindy Shepherd 170.320mph
54. Kirk Shelmerdine #172 Freddie B's Ford Kirk Shelmerdine 167.780mph
55. Carl Long #280 ADESA Impact Ford Hover Motorsports 167.084mph
56. Geoffrey Bodine #293 Global Industrial Contractors Chevrolet Pat Whitener no time
* Rookie of the Year contender.